The Bernoulli Equation in a Moving Reference Frame

Abstract

Unlike other standard equations in introductory classical mechanics, the Bernoulli equation is not Galilean invariant. The explanation is that, in a reference frame moving with respect to constrictions or obstacles, those surfaces do work on the fluid, constituting an extra term that needs to be included in the work?energy calculation. A quantitative example is presented here for a horizontal tapered pipe. A frame-independent expression for the pressure drop in the pipe is obtained. The concepts discussed in this paper are accessible to introductory undergraduate physics majors.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 02, 2011
Accession Number
ADA551099

Entities

People

  • Carl E. Mungan

Organizations

  • United States Naval Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Constrictions
  • Diameters
  • Electronic Mail
  • Equations
  • Flow
  • Fluid Flow
  • Information Operations
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanics
  • Molecular Mechanics Methods
  • Physics
  • Standards
  • Static Pressure
  • United States Naval Academy
  • Unsteady Flow

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Fluid Dynamics.